Taking Detours

by Michelle Duvall

Driving along life's highway enjoying the scenic beauty, the peaceful journey, the occasional interesting sights, when out of no where just ahead the road has disappeared, and I am left with only a bumpy, lonely, uncertain trail on which to travel. Do I stand still waiting for the road crew, the powers that be, to come and fix life's road for me, or do I dare to go blindly onto the only other path? I will not be rescued, nor will I be left alone and static; I choose instead to take the detour and see where it will lead. This particular detour takes me far from home, looping around the mountain tops, delving into the deepest gorges, through the darkest caves, along the deepest rivers and onto more detour trails along the way; all of these are places I would have missed on the main road... the intended road. And the destination is not the place that I expected to reach, nor is it anything familiar; however it is exciting and it is a place that belongs only to me. And so my travel, my highway of life, has become less and less about the destination and the road ahead, and more about searching out, finding, and taking the detours and all that they offer.

6S

Michelle Duvall, among other things, is a single mom, a teacher, and a writer.